


to love a beast

by hanayou



Category: BanG Dream! (Anime), BanG Dream! Girl's Band Party! (Video Game)
Genre: Aged up characters, Alternate Universe - Vampire, Beauty and the Beast Elements, Blood Drinking, F/F, chisato falls asleep a lot, im a simple gay i love kaoru vampires and vampire kaoru, vampire!kaoru
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-09-25
Updated: 2019-09-28
Packaged: 2020-10-27 21:51:04
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 6,144
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20767493
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hanayou/pseuds/hanayou
Summary: “Once upon a time,” Chisato read, “there lived a girl named Belle, who loved a Beast.”“Ridiculous,” she said, snapping the book closed. “Who could ever love a beast."





	1. Chapter One

“Once upon a time,” Chisato read, “there lived a girl named Belle, who loved a Beast.”

“Ridiculous,” she said, snapping the book closed. “Who could ever love a beast.”

“Oh, but please read more!” cried her sister, Kanon. “It sounds like such a lovely fairytale!”

“You can read this nonsense on your own,” said Chisato. “I will have nothing to do with it.” And she handed the book over and left the room.

How indeed could one love a beast? Chisato would never have dreamed that she, too, might know the answer one day.

The world Chisato lived in was similar to our own in many ways, but was yet different, as is to be expected from a fairy tale. Everyone knew that magical creatures existed; witches ran coffee shops with special brews, unicorns were kept as pets, and mermaids kept sailors company on their long journeys across the seas. But there was a darker side to this world, one everyone refused to talk about, and that was the existence of vampires. 

There was the occasional disappearance that no one mentioned, the girl who had vanished overnight from the house down the street, her bed perfectly made up and slippers left behind. No one spoke of these things, as they did not want to bring any suspicion upon their household, lest they be the next victims.

Chisato minded her business, never thought about the disappearances, paid no heed to the fear creeping into the townspeople. She went about her daily work, attended to the rehearsals of plays she was in, kept up with modeling work.

Until the night her sister disappeared.

Chisato was not dumb. She knew plenty well this was the work of a vampire. They had even had the audacity to leave a rose atop Kanon’s pillow, as if that was enough of a trade to satisfy her family. Well, Chisato was far from satisfied. She got into some warm clothes, laced up her boots, gathered up some bread and cheese, and went for a walk.

She wasn’t sure where she was going, but she knew she would stop at nothing to get her sister back. She hiked through the town and out into the woods surrounding it, kept on the trails until there was no trail to follow at all and she had to make her own. The sun was nearing the horizon by that point, and Chisato was more than a little concerned about being alone in the forest at night, but she kept on her path, stopping only once to eat the food she had brought.

Vampires always lived in forests, she’d heard. So she was bound to find their hideout eventually. Even if it took her days, weeks, she would keep going until she found Kanon.

If Kanon was still alive by then.

...Best not to think like that.

The sun had long gone down when Chisato finally came across a new trail. This one was paved with stone, something odd to see in the middle of a forest. Naturally, she followed it.

It led to a large iron gate. There was no lock on the gate, and she pushed it. It swung open with a loud creak, and she strode inside, confident despite the dark. _ Let any vampire try to have anything to do with me! _ she thought. _ I’ll fight them off with my bare hands.  _ This wouldn’t have been the best course to take, so it’s rather a good thing no vampires appeared before her.

The moon was beginning to rise, and by its light she saw the outline of a towering mansion ahead of her.  _ This is exactly the sort of place a vampire would live,  _ she thought. And she knocked on the door.

There was dead silence. An owl hooted in the distance. She knocked again. This time, after a moment, the door creaked open, first only a crack and then fully open. 

Chisato could see the shape of a woman, tall and imposing, but could not make out any features beyond how intimidating she was.

“Yes?” the woman asked. Her voice was surprisingly deep, and surprisingly familiar, somehow.

“Are you the vampire who has taken my sister?” asked Chisato. Best to come right out and ask it.

“I’ve taken quite my share of sisters in my time, little kitten,” said the woman. “You’ll have to be more specific.”

“Kanon,” Chisato said flatly. “Have you taken Kanon?”

“Chisato?” came a faint cry from deep within the house. She was here! Chisato ducked straight under the towering woman’s arm, surprising her enough to get a few seconds head start into the house. Unfortunately, the woman’s long legs allowed her to catch up quite quickly, and she laid a hand on Chisato’s shoulder to keep her from advancing further.

“Alas, I must forbid you from venturing farther, my kitten.”

“I’m here to rescue my sister,” Chisato said firmly, shaking the hand off. “I  _ will  _ rescue her.”

“Pitting yourself against a vampire? A risky move,” said the woman, almost in a purr. “I’m afraid I will have to stop you.”

“Let her go,” said Chisato, “And I’ll take her place.”

“Oh?” the woman said, tilting her head to the side. “A volunteer? How intriguing. Does my beauty captivate you that much?”

Chisato ground her teeth. “Let Kanon go, and I’ll stay here with you. Forever.”

The woman seemed to consider it. “You willingly agree to be my blood slave?”

The term sent a shiver down Chisato’s spine, but she did her best not to show it. Vampires could see very well in the dark, she’d heard, and she wanted to show no signs of weakness. “Yes.”

“Ah, how fleeting…!” cried the woman. “Human’s love for one another, the bonds sisters carry between them, how-”

“Are you going to let her go, or not?”

The woman seemed disappointed at being interrupted at her spiel, but said nothing of it. Instead, she said, “I shall indeed, do not fret.”

Chisato followed her through the dark halls, until they reached a room lit with oil lamps, where Kanon lay sprawled across a couch. Rushing to her side, Chisato was relieved to see her breathing. It seemed she had merely fallen asleep. 

In the light, Chisato could see the woman’s face clearly for the first time. It was picturesque, with high cheekbones framed by silky purple hair. Her red eyes stared down at Chisato, as if she could see into her soul. Chisato resisted a shiver. This woman seemed so familiar, and yet there was surely no way she could be…

Kanon roused from her slumber, blinking as she took in the sight. “Chisato,” she murmured. “You came for me!”

“Of course I did,” said Chisato, holding Kanon’s weak hand. She had obviously been drained of some blood; her face was pale and there were faint bruises forming on her neck. Chisato wanted to kill that vampire right then. How dare she harm her sister!

But the level-headed Chisato prevailed, and she merely took a deep breath instead of attempting to strangle the woman behind her. “You need to take her back,” she told the vampire. “She’s terrible with directions, and far too weak in this state to walk all the way back.”

“And you expect me to let you run away?” asked the woman, smiling.

“Lock me in a room for all I care. I made a promise, and I’ll keep my half of it if you keep yours.”

Kanon looked between the two women, confused. “What’s going on?”

Chisato turned to her. “I’m staying, to take your place.”

“No!” Kanon cried. “You can’t do that! She’s a very nice vampire, but you can’t sacrifice yourself for me!”

Chisato doubted highly that this woman was “a very nice vampire”, if such things even existed, but she said nothing of it. She turned back to the woman. “Can you carry her to town?”

“Do you doubt my strength?” asked the woman. “I could carry the both of you straight up the mountain if I so desired.”

Chisato nodded. “Then please take her back home.”

“Do you wish to be rid of my presence so soon?” lamented the woman, scooping Kanon up effortlessly. “Like Romeo and Juliet, we too must separate, though I shall return soon. I pray you do not do away with yourself like dear Juliet did.”

“I won’t,” said Chisato flatly. “Now go.”

Kanon seemed distraught, but was too weak to do anything except cry Chisato’s name as she was whisked away out of the room.

And so Chisato was left alone, in the mansion of a vampire. She knew too, deep in her heart, who this vampire was, even if she refused to admit it to herself. 

As Chisato lay on the sofa, fighting off sleep, she thought about what she’d done. She was now no more than a slave to this vampire, to be her property for the rest of her life. It was a sobering thought. She might never see her sister’s face again…

Chisato’s eyelids drooped, and she fell into a deep sleep, not noticing Kaoru’s return nor the light of day beginning to shine through a gap in the curtain. She didn’t notice when Kaoru swept her up in her arms, carrying her across the room to a gorgeously decorated room, laying her gently in the canopy bed, nor did she notice when Kaoru quietly left the room, shutting the door behind her. She noticed none of this, and dreamt of being a child again.


	2. Chapter Two

Chisato awoke to find herself in the most luxurious bed she could have imagined. It was feather soft, and she sunk into it in the most perfect way. The canopy above her was ornately embroidered with roses, and curtains surrounded her, muffling her in darkness. It was so lovely, she could have slept forever, had she not remembered where she was.

Opening the curtain nearest to her, she peaked out into the room. She was alone, at least for now. 

She climbed out of bed with some difficulty (the bed seemed trying to swallow her up) and found a gorgeous dress had been laid out for her. A stunning red, the dress was sewn with gold thread near the hem, and a necklace lay beside it, matching perfectly. Was she to wear this? She would have protested, but one look at the clothes she was wearing told her she had to change out of them, wrinkled as they were.

After she had changed, Chisato checked her neck in the hand mirror laying on the dresser. There were no marks on it that she could see, which meant the vampire had not taken advantage of her while she was asleep.  _ How awfully polite,  _ she thought dryly, before placing the mirror back where she’d found it and trying the doorknob. It was, she found, unlocked. She ventured out.

The halls were lit this time, old fashioned oil lamps in delicate shapes lining the walls. Chisato was grateful for this, as she did not have a vampire’s night vision. Most of the windows she past were boarded up, but some simply had heavy, dusty curtains strung in front. She opened one, and found she had slept all the way til dusk the next day. How very unfortunate. There would be no escape attempts today. Not that she’d ever be safe even if she escaped...

She heard a voice singing to itself, accompanied by a piano, and she followed it to its source. This happened to be but a few doors down the hall, and she stepped into it.

It was a grand ballroom, sweeping high ceilings decorated with gold leaf and intricately painted designs of castles, princes, and princesses, all the sorts of things you’d expect from the ballroom in a fairy tale. Chisato was annoyed by it.

The singing came to an end, and was replaced by “Ah, but soft, what light through yonder window breaks? It is the east, and Chisato is the sun.”

_ I  _ wish _ I could burn you,  _ thought Chisato idly.

“How do you know my name?” she asked instead.

The woman placed a hand over her heart, eyebrows creased in distress. “You wound me! Do you truly not remember me, Chisato?”

So it really was Kaoru, then. Her childhood playmate. She’d tried her best to ignore the similarities between her and that woman, but clearly she could do so no longer.

“How did you turn out like this?” Chisato asked. She was surprised to see a tinge of red come to Kaoru’s cheeks as she looked away. She hadn’t known vampires could blush.

“An… unfortunate accident, shall we say.”

“What happened?” Chisato had to fight back a laugh at Kaoru’s expression.

“Ah… you remember Silver, my magnificent steed? Well… he was temperamental one day and, riding into the forest, he, ah, decided to run me into a tree. Luckily a wonderful woman happened to be passing, and, by turning me, allowed me to continue my grand performance upon this earth.”

Dying by hitting a tree, Chisato thought, was a very fitting thing to have happened to Kaoru. It suited the Kaoru she remembered, small and scared of everything. She missed that Kaoru. Now all that was left was a flamboyant vampire.

She wasn’t impressed.

Kaoru stood from her spot at the piano, moving towards her. “May I say, my dear kitten, that you look absolutely ravishing in that dress? The brilliant scarlet brings out the rosy tones of your supple lips.”

Chisato rather hoped that looking ‘ravishing’ didn’t mean Kaoru wanted to eat her. “Thank you,” she said, forcing a smile. “You have a good eye in clothes.”

“Why thank you,” said Kaoru, now looming over her, a strange brightness to her eyes; she licked her lips, looking down at Chisato, and Chisato felt a cold shiver roll down her spine. There was something in that look, she found, that made her feel like prey.

Rather than back away, she unclasped her necklace, pulling her hair to one side. “Go ahead,” she said, wishing it already over.

Kaoru blinked. “What?”

“Go ahead,” repeated Chisato, tilting her neck to allow better access. “Get it over with.”

Realization dawned in Kaoru’s eyes, and she glanced away. “Ah, I do not, er,  _ need  _ to feast just yet.”

Chisato could see the hunger in Kaoru’s glowing eyes though, the longing in the way she bit her lip. Her eyes would dart to Chisato’s bare neck before flitting away. 

Chisato stood firm. “Just do it, Kaoru.”

Hearing her name seemed to trigger something within Kaoru, and she leaned down, eyes glowing with desire. Chisato closed her eyes, swallowed, waited for the pain.

What she felt, instead, was softness against her neck, then her collarbone, then her jaw. Her eyes fluttered open. “What are you doing?” she whispered.

“Simply warming your blood,” murmured Kaoru, before sucking at the skin of her collarbone. Chisato stifled a gasp, eyes closing again. She felt a hand against her shoulder, an arm wrapped around her. If this was really to warm her blood, she thought, heart pounding, it was working. She hadn’t thought she could feel like this from a few kisses, but clearly she’d thought wrong.

She’d been expecting a stabbing pain, but what she felt was merely a pinprick, like being pricked by a needle, then complete, utter bliss. Warmth pooled in her stomach, her knees grew weak; she felt Kaoru moan in delight and nearly moaned with her. She opened her eyes for a brief moment, and something about seeing the way Kaoru’s head pressed against her neck gave her a wave of delirious pleasure. 

Her knees gave way, and without missing a beat Kaoru caught her, holding her tight so she wouldn’t fall. Without thinking, unable to think, Chisato reached up and entangled her fingers in Kaoru’s hair. Kaoru seemed to like this, and she made a deep noise against Chisato that sent her shivering deliciously.

And then, just like that, it was over. Chisato was left panting, craving more, as Kaoru pulled away, still holding Chisato in her arms. Kaoru gave her neck one last, lingering lick, picking up a drop of blood still remaining on her skin, before turning her head away as she hoisted Chisato into the air. Chisato, too weak and delirious to protest, let herself be carried, until she found herself lowered onto the same chaise she’d fallen asleep on the night before. She snuggled against its cushions, toes curling, and heard Kaoru murmur, “I’ll make you some tea,” before she was left alone.

Was this why Kanon had called her a “very nice vampire”? Chisato couldn’t disagree that that had been very nice indeed, almost too nice. Why had no one told her it felt so good? Surely, if people knew, vampires wouldn’t be so feared.

But maybe, she supposed sleepily, it had just been something special. Maybe other vampires weren’t the same way, maybe Kaoru had just been gentle with her. Maybe, maybe….

She was asleep before Kaoru returned with the tea.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> im. so embarrassed


	3. Chapter Three

Chisato wasn’t asleep long. When she woke, she was alone, but the tea set on the table near her was still warm. She sat up, sipped it, and thought.

She thought mostly about how she was to face Kaoru again. How she was to look her in the eyes again after going through... _ that.  _

_ Foolish _ , she told herself,  _ that was foolish letting yourself act like that. Utterly foolish. _

But her body seemed to have thoughts of its own. She still felt wonderfully warm inside, and her neck tingled in all the places Kaoru had touched. Chisato raised a hand to her neck, feeling for the spot she had been bitten, and found it was only a little sore. She’d expected it would be, but it was considerably less so than she had thought.

Chisato stood, and made her way on wobbly legs down the hall. She should probably rest, she thought, after having her blood taken from her, but she was getting awfully hungry by now, and the tea meant there was bound to be a kitchen somewhere. Not that it meant there would be  _ food,  _ but it was worth a try, and she certainly didn’t wish to see Kaoru again just yet to ask her.

It took her several minutes to find the kitchen. Luckily for her, it was on the ground floor, as she wasn’t quite sure she could climb stairs feeling this weak.

The kitchen was vast, with rows of countertops, multiple ovens, an expansive fireplace at the far end of the room, and an enormous stove along the wall. And it was there, Chisato found to her dismay, that Kaoru was.

She was stirring something in a large iron pot, and turned at the sound of Chisato’s footsteps. To Chisato’s surprise, she didn’t meet her eyes, and looked away rather bashfully. It was an expression Chisato remembered from years ago, and she was relieved a bit that Kaoru felt awkward as well.

Kaoru cleared her throat. “You’re awake. Good. I, ah, thought you’d be hungry, so I made you something.”

This plain speech was relaxing to hear, as opposed to the dramatic flair she often put into her voice. Chisato smiled to herself.

Chisato sat down upon a stool near the stove, legs too weak to hold her any longer, and watched Kaoru’s back. She seemed fit, she thought, in shape, from what she could see beneath the tight white shirt Kaoru wore. Though, she supposed Kaoru might have just been that in life, and simply retained it in death without needing to exercise any more. Either way, it was pleasant to look at.

Chisato shook herself. No, it wouldn’t do to go admiring her figure. She was a vampire, a thing of the dead. A monster. She had to keep reminding herself of that. The Kaoru she used to know was long gone. This Kaoru could easily have killed her, had she chosen to.

Kaoru turned then, holding a steaming bowl of whatever had been in the pot. It was, Chisato found as she drew closer, miso soup. Chisato barely suppressed a smile; that had been the only thing the young Kaoru she knew could cook.

Chisato gratefully took the bowl from Kaoru’s hands, brushing fingers with her as she did so, and causing the taller woman to look away, face turning red. Chisato couldn’t help but give a little laugh despite herself. This just caused Kaoru to redden more, and she turned away and busied herself with the stove.

As she sipped the soup, Chisato closed her eyes, allowing the flavor to relax her and fill her stomach with soothing warmth. It was just what she needed, she found, and once she had finished, she stood and took her bowl to the sink.

“Thank you,” she said, before adding softly, “Kao-chan.”

There was a loud crash as Kaoru dropped the pot she’d been holding. Looking over, Chisato found her companion beet red, struggling to clean up the soup she’d spilled with a towel. Laughing at her expression, Chisato bent down to help.

“Please,” muttered Kaoru, avoiding Chisato’s eyes, “refrain from calling me by that name. It was a long time ago, and it’s, ah, embarrassing…” Her face scrunched up in a delightfully comical expression as she turned her head away. 

Chisato giggled. “What name?” she asked innocently. “Kao-chan?”

Kaoru turned, if possible, redder. “Ch-Chisato, please...”

“No ‘Chii-chan’? I wonder, are you still as afraid of ghosts as you were back then?”

“O-of course not,” Kaoru stammered. 

Chisato remembered the way it had taken so long for Kaoru to open the door when she’d first arrived, the way it had creaked open just a sliver, for her to peek out, before it opened all the way. She smirked. It seemed to her that Kaoru still was.

The mess was cleaned up by then, and Kaoru busied herself in cleaning the pot in one of the large sinks. Chisato hummed a little, then snuck over as quietly as she could, before suddenly jumping forward, tapping Kaoru on the side, and crying “Boo!”

Kaoru screeched, throwing the sponge she’d been using across the room as she jumped. Chisato began to laugh, doubling over in glee. Kaoru, dismayed by her own reactions, stumbled over to collect the sponge, cheeks flushed. 

“You’re so cute, Kao-chan,” Chisato laughed, not thinking. As soon as she realized what she’d said, she found herself blushing, and hurriedly looked away. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Kaoru slip and nearly fall on the soap, and she stifled another laugh with her hand.

Kaoru managed to recover her balance and scoop up the sponge, still blushing.

They didn’t speak again, both too embarrassed to meet the other’s eyes, and separated as they left the kitchen.

Chisato decided to explore the mansion further. If she was to live out the rest of her days here, she figured she ought to know where everything was.

She found the first floor contained (besides the bedroom she’d been staying in, the ballroom, the kitchen and the lounge) several bedrooms, bathrooms, a large dining hall, and a grand indoor bath, nearly the size of a swimming pool.

The second floor had an immense library, covering nearly half of its space and containing a collection of more books than Chisato had ever seen in her life. She’d never been much of a reader, really, but she supposed she ought to start, since there was little else to do trapped in the mansion of a vampire. She pulled a book off the shelf at random.

_ Beauty and the Beast. _

Why was this story plaguing her? She put it straight back. Fairytales were not her thing, thank you very much.

Chisato tried another book, and came up with something much more promising:  _ An In-Depth Guide to Vampires. _ Ah, this should be interesting. She sat down on a surprisingly comfy couch to read it.

Flipping it open, she saw someone had scribbled in the margins. Whoever it was used strange terms, like “boppin!” and multiple star symbols. She frowned. Chisato may not be much of a reader, but even she knew it was rude to write in books.

Ignoring the scribbles and the occasional doodle inside the book, she learned many interesting things. She learned that the average vampire needs to feed but once a week, that most of their bodily functions continue to work despite them technically being dead, that they didn’t need to eat human food but could, and that some vampires were “vegetarian”, meaning they only drank animal blood. Chisato wasn’t sure how vegetarian that really was, but she wasn’t about to argue.

There was nothing in the book, however, to explain the way she had felt when Kaoru had bitten her. There was nothing on the way vampires could affect humans at all. Chisato put the book back, disappointed. She ventured on through the house.

Besides several lounges, most sporting grand fireplaces, Chisato found that the other main room on the second story seemed to be the master bedroom. It was enormous, decorated similarly to the room she’d been staying in, but much grander in scale. The bed was huge, the largest she’d ever seen, and the curtains hanging from the canopy seemed to be sewn with gold thread. There were tapestries on the walls; one depicted a maiden and a unicorn, another a knight fighting a dragon. The people in them were dressed in dreadfully old-fashioned clothing, leading Chisato to believe they were very old indeed. She didn’t dare to touch them, worried a single touch might cause them to fray.

There was a large, antique dresser against one wall, and, out of curiosity, Chisato opened it. Inside, she found fancily embroidered suits, lots of dress shirts, pants, and the occasional dress.  _ Oh,  _ she thought,  _ is this Kaoru’s room then? _

“May I ask,” came a low voice from just behind her, making her jump, “Why you are going through my clothes?”

“I-I’m sorry,” Chisato said, reprimanding herself for her stutter internally, as she turned to face the vampire. “I didn’t realize this was your room until now.”

“How you’ve wrinkled my suits,” said Kaoru, shaking her head sadly as she tried to smooth them out. “Though, I suppose it is human nature to want to defile beauty.”

“My apologies, I wasn’t trying to defile them,” said Chisato, hiding a smile with her hand. “I must admit, I’m surprised to see you own any dresses. You seem so comfortable in pants.”

“Yes, well,” started Kaoru, brushing aside her bangs with her hand as she struggled for the right words, “Sometimes, in life… a great actor must play a role they are not accustomed to. All the world’s a stage, after all.”

“Indeed,” hummed Chisato, wandering about the room. There was a smaller door against one wall, and she laid her hand on the doorknob. “And what’s in here?” she asked.

Kaoru started. “Ah, pray, do not enter that room.”

“Why not?” Chisato smiled innocently. “Is this where you keep the corpses of all the beautiful ladies you’ve drank dry?”

“Absolutely not!” cried Kaoru, striking a dramatic pose. “You disgrace me with your thoughts, Chisato. I would never do such a thing.”

“Isn’t that what vampires do, though?” asked Chisato, inching the doorknob to the side. “Drain their victims of all blood?”

“ _ Some  _ may do that, I am not sure,” said Kaoru, “But I would never deign to rob a lady of her life. Some blood is all I take, before I return them to their home.”

“You return them?” Chisato stared. “You mean you’d have brought Kanon back anyway?”

“Why, of course!”

“So I have trapped myself here for nothing,” muttered Chisato.

“A promise is a promise, however,” said Kaoru, advancing towards her. “You don’t intend to break it, do you?”

“Of course not,” said Chisato, then flung open the door.

Inside were row after row of photos, lit by a solitary oil lamp burning low. The photos, she saw, were all of her. Old photos, from when she was a child; new photos, from her recent photo shoot published just last week. She stared.

“Ch-Chisato,” stammered Kaoru from behind her. “It’s not-”

“Why do you have these?” Chisato asked, cold as ice.

“I-It’s nothing bad, I swear, I just-”

“Answer me, Kaoru,” Chisato said, turning around. 

Kaoru avoided her eyes. “I, ah, just supposed I would never see you again…”

“So what, you made a shrine to me?” Chisato snorted. 

“It’s nothing like that!” cried Kaoru, finally meeting her eyes. “I just… wanted to remember what you looked like… in case I started to forget…” She swallowed, looking away again, face slowly beginning to flush, and Chisato realized she was telling the truth.

“I’m sorry,” said Kaoru eventually, staring at the wall. “I understand how it can be interpreted, and I will remove them immediately. I will burn them, if you so desire. Just, please do not hate me for it. That is more than I could bear.”

“I don’t hate you,” murmured Chisato. “You don’t need to burn them, just take them down.”

“After all,” she said, managing a genuine smile, “You have me here now. I won’t let you forget.”


	4. Chapter 4

Kaoru, Chisato thought, had been avoiding her since that day. She had barely seen her aside from brief accidental meetings, in which Kaoru would hurriedly excuse herself. Chisato felt Kaoru would have blushed, but was unable to.

Luckily there was plenty of food in the kitchen, despite it being the house of one who didn’t need to eat, and Chisato was able to keep herself fed. She wondered where Kaoru had gotten the food, but with no Kaoru around to ask, she just hoped it had been legal transactions.

She’d spent the last few days mostly reading, cooking, and wandering aimlessly about the manor. With no one to talk to, she ended up talking to herself, which was rather embarrassing.

“I wonder,” she said to herself, resting in her room one evening, “how everything stays so clean. Does Kaoru do all the cleaning herself? Surely not, but then…” She contemplated this. She’d never seen anyone else in her explorations of the manor, nor any signs of anyone ever having lived there in the past century aside from the rooms she frequented. And yet, everything was immaculate. The image of the vampire cleaning the house with a vacuum was, somehow, endearing, and she smiled.

No more dresses were being laid out for her, but she found a wide selection in a closet upstairs, and took the ones that seemed her size. She’d have to figure out how to wash them later, once she was done wearing them all, but that was a problem for future Chisato, and she put it off for now. She found herself growing a little lazy now, letting herself relax from being so scheduled and uptight over the years. It was strange, but nice.

Her sleep schedule was off, and she ended up awake most nights instead of the day. But it didn’t matter much, with how dark the house was round the clock. It was to be expected for a vampire, but Chisato still wished to see the sun every once in a while. She didn’t dare open any curtains, though, secretly worried she might hurt Kaoru.

She supposed she could have tried to escape, especially since Kaoru didn’t seem to be keeping an eye on her, but she didn’t. Chisato told herself she was merely playing it safe, but deep down she knew why: because she actually liked it here. She enjoyed feeling free of responsibilities, liked feeling like a princess in pretty dresses, and, god save her, she actually like Kaoru’s company, whenever she was around that is. Despite her flamboyance, there was something sweet about her, hints of the old Kaoru that Chisato had known long ago, and she longed to break off the exterior and get to the real Kaoru beneath.

Sighing, Chisato let her body relax in the warm waters of the bath. This had become her favorite part of each day, a time to completely unwind and be at peace. 

There was a wide variety of bath perfumes available in the main bath, the large one, and she’d taken to trying a different one each time she bathed. They all had strange names; today’s was “totally rockin’ applemint ☆”. It didn’t, she found, smell like either apples or mint, which just made the name stranger.

Stretching, arching her back, she was about to get out of the bath, when she heard a rather garbled sort of noise from nearby. Instinctively, she turned.

There, in the doorway, stood Kaoru, torso barely covered with a towel. She seemed nearly 70% legs; they were long and slim and gorgeous, and Chisato stared, before realizing what she was doing and hurriedly turning her back, face heating up.

“K-Kaoru,” she stammered, covering her chest with her arms, “can’t you see it’s o-occupied?”

“My a-apologies,” Kaoru stammered in return, “I had no idea.”

They stood in silence for several seconds, before Chisato said, “Get out.”

“Right,” Kaoru said quickly, and hurried out the door, closing it loudly behind her. Chisato waited until she was sure she had gone before climbing out, face red, and not from the heat of the bath. She got dressed, cursing every god she could think of, and then left the room.

Upon exiting, Chisato found Kaoru waiting outside, looking as dignified as someone wearing only a towel could look. She avoided Chisato’s eye, slipping past her back into the bath room, and Chisato was alone again. It was only when she reached her room that she realized it was entirely possible Kaoru might be using her bath water, and the thought gave her a funny feeling low in her stomach. She ignored it.

Chisato tried very hard to avoid Kaoru from then on, making noise everywhere she went, rather like she was trying to scare off a bear. It worked, though. She hadn’t seen the vampire in several days.

But then, as she was walking through the hall one evening, she saw a blur out of the corner of her eye. She had barely registered it before she found herself pinned against the wall. Kaoru stood before her, her hands holding both of Chisato’s wrists above her head. Her eyes were glowing, brighter than Chisato had ever seen them before, and her fangs were clearly visible as she panted, staring down at the other woman.

“K-Kaoru,” Chisato stammered, heart racing at the way Kaoru was looking at her, “what-”

“I need you,” growled Kaoru. “I waited too long.  _ I need you. _ ”

Chisato felt a warm excitement beginning to grow inside her, and she swallowed, feeling deliciously vulnerable. “Then come and take me,” she said, hardly believing herself as the words fell out.

Kaoru didn’t waste a second. She was down at Chisato’s neck in a flash; there were no kisses this time, no softness or gentleness. The bite was hard, more like Chisato had expected the first time, but ohh, the bliss that filled her more than made up for it. She moaned, arching up against Kaoru; Kaoru released her wrists to lift her up off her feet, both hands gripping onto Chisato’s upper thighs, pressing her against the wall. Instinctively, Chisato wrapped her legs around Kaoru’s waist, feeling wonderful, so indescribably wonderful. Her whole body felt hot, her mind long blown away, her only thought, ‘ _ more, I need more.’ _ She didn’t realize she was saying it aloud until she felt Kaoru give a deep chuckle against her, and the vibration sent her spiraling further into bliss.

It was over far too fast. They were both left panting, Kaoru nuzzling her face into the crook of Chisato’s neck as they struggled to catch their breath.

“More,” pleaded Chisato, all other thoughts long gone to the wind.

Kaoru laughed. “More, my dear, and I’ll drink you dry.” She clearly hadn't had enough either though; she sucked at Chisato’s neck, not biting, merely leaving love marks. Chisato moaned again, sticking her fingers into Kaoru’s hair and forcing it loose of its ponytail. It fell, cascading down over Kaoru’s shoulders, and Chisato ran her fingers through it, breast heaving, pressing against Kaoru’s.

Kaoru’s hands inched up Chisato’s thighs, searching for a better grip, and Chisato let her. They settled upon her butt, long slender fingers pressing into the softness; Chisato gave a breathy sigh.

“You’re so beautiful,” murmured Kaoru, gifting kisses across her jaw. Chisato’s heart gave a leap.

A single thought came into her head then, a single rational thought-  _ be careful. _

Be careful of what? Right now, Chisato didn’t feel afraid of anything.

When Kaoru finally pulled away, Chisato knew what to do. 

She pulled her back, and she kissed her.


End file.
